


What Happens in Australia

by angelCastiel



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Cheating, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Mostly Fluff, turnwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-15 05:45:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5773624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelCastiel/pseuds/angelCastiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meg and Ryan have a fun day at the beach in Australia. Slowly but surely, their feelings for each other begin to rise to the surface, and they just can't resist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! It's by far not my first fic, but it is the first RT fic, and the first one I've posted on this site. enjoy, and tell me what you think!

“My hair is all over the place!” Meg laughed, whipping her head around to try and get the strands of hair out of her face. Her hands clutched at her cell phone and she could see how ridiculous she looked in the front facing camera.  
  
“Let me guess, this is for Twitter.” Ryan was trying to sound disappointed, but there was nothing but humor in his voice.  
  
“Don’t judge,” Meg played along. “Come on, help me out here! I looked cute in this top and I need a picture of it!”  
  
Ryan rolled his eyes, but consented. He stood to her side, still out of the frame of her camera, and brushed back her hair out of her face. He held it in place behind her head. “Alright, go ahead, take your picture.”  
  
Meg smiled, sticking her tongue out at the camera, and snapped the photo. As soon as she had, she then pivoted her phone to get Ryan in the frame as well. Before he had the chance to move, she snapped another, laughing. “Don’t worry, I won’t post that one.”  
  
“Good.” Ryan let of her hair, which immediately flew back into her face. With her hands free, she could move it out of the way. “You should really just cut it all off, like me. It’s way easier to take care of, trust me.”  
  
“Hey, I paid good money to have this hair dyed and styled. I’m not gonna just cut it off!”  
  
“You’re right, you’re right. It’s very pretty. I was wrong.” Ryan held his hands up in mock surrender. Meg laughed, pushing him away playfully. “Oh, come on. There’s no need for that.”  
  
“Come on, Rye-Rye. Let’s get in the water and enjoy it before we have to leave. We actually have work tomorrow.” Meg grabbed his arm and Ryan let himself be dragged over to the water. Once they were ankle deep, she let him go, and ran out ahead. She turned around and faced Ryan, who was slowing making his way over. She held out her arms, closed her eyes, and let herself fall backwards into the water.  
  
It was a windy day, and because of it, there were more waves than usual. Meg stared up at the blue sky, letting the waves take her along the beach. She didn’t pay any attention to where the current was taking her, she was just happy to enjoy the ride. In a few minutes, her view of the sky was suddenly blocked, as Ryan was standing over her. “You havin’ fun down there?”  
  
“Sh, Ryan. I’m thinking.”  
  
“About what? You know how far we are from where we set up, now?”  
  
“Come on, join me.” Meg tugged on his arm, and he reluctantly settled down beside her. They both were floating on the surface, staring upwards. “Isn’t it beautiful? It’s beautiful.”  
  
“Yeah, it is.” He glanced over at Meg, whose hair was floating along with her, reaching outwards like branches from a tree. Her sunglasses rested on her face, but from this angle he could see her eyes beneath them. Her skin was pale, and he could see a smudge of sunscreen alongside her ear. No one could deny the attractiveness of Meg Turney. She was beautiful inside and out.  
  
She turned towards him, and he looked back to the sky quickly. She smiled, but didn’t say anything. She closed her eyes, again, and listened to the scene around her. She could hear some kids yelling from far away, and someone splashing around in the water not too far from where they were. She could hear the distant squawking of birds flying overhead.  
  
She heard Ryan moving around in the water, but she didn’t pay attention to it. She figured he was bored, and was heading off somewhere else. She very suddenly realized his true intentions, however, when she felt his hands on her side and back. Before she had a chance to do anything about it, she was being flipped over, heading face-first into the water.  
  
She jumped up onto her feet, the water coming to her waist. “RYAN!” She squealed, shaking drops out of her hair. She brought her hands up to her face, wiping away some of the water. She opened her eyes, realizing she had lost her glasses in the commotion. “My glass-“  
  
Ryan was grinning down at her, his arms crossed, her glasses covering his eyes. “Your what?”  
  
“You are really an asshole, you know that?” She marched forward, soaking wet, and reached up and grabbed her glasses from him. She didn’t bother putting them back on. Ryan’s shoulders were going up and down, and she could tell he was holding in laughter. “What?”  
  
“Nothing. You just… you look pretty funny.”  
  
Meg rolled her eyes, letting out a little huff, but couldn’t hold back a slight smile. “You’re going to regret this, you know. I’m gonna get you back.”  
  
Ryan shrugged, putting his fingers together in the shape of a heart, obviously mimicking Meg, herself. “Sorry!”  
  
“Whatever.”  
  
They didn’t stay at the beach for much longer. They had a dinner to go to with Gus and Geoff, and they had to get ready for that back at the hotel.  
  
Meg’s room was on the second floor, and Ryan’s was on the third. They said goodbye in the elevator, and agreed to meet down in the lobby in an hour so they could share a cab to the restaurant.  
  
As soon as Meg got into her room, she just about collapsed on her bed, still slightly wet from the beach. She could feel sand in her swim suit, and she knew that she was going to have to take a shower. She laid her glasses on the bedside table, smiling to herself. She couldn’t stay mad at Ryan for long, and she was already over it. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to live up to her word. She was totally going to get back at him, later.  
  
Ryan didn’t take long to get ready. It wasn’t like this was a formal affair. Maybe for most people in the working world, going to dinner with your boss is considered a big deal, but not for him. He just wore jeans and a green t-shirt, knowing he was still probably going to be dressed more professionally than Geoff.  
  
He spent the rest of the time on his laptop. He didn’t have any work to do at the time, so he just caught up on his reading, and checked his profiles. He went onto Twitter, a place he really had no interest in being on. But he wanted to see how Meg’s picture from earlier turned out. He laughed when he saw it; her face, tongue sticking out, and his arm holding back her hair. It was a good picture of her, although pretty much any picture of her was a good one. She didn’t model for Playboy for nothing.  
When it was time, he made his way downstairs, not particularly concerned with rushing. He figured Meg would most likely be late, anyway, and there was no use in waiting around for longer than he needed to. Just as he guessed, he walked into the lobby five minutes late, and Meg was nowhere in sight. He settled down in one of the chairs, ready to wait.  
  
Luckily, Meg only took a few more minutes before she, too, appeared in the lobby. Ryan stood as she walked over. “I’m so sorry for being late! I had to shower, and I just lost track of time, you know how it is.”  
  
Meg was wearing a black halter dress and tall black heels. Halfway down, her hair became beautiful curls. Her lips were a bright red, drawing all your attention right to them. “No, no, it’s fine. You look… really good.” Ryan tried not to think about what he was wearing. It paled in comparison.  
  
“Thanks! You look good, too!” Ryan figured she was just saying it to reciprocate his compliment, but she meant it. “Are we ready, then?”  
  
The Uber they ordered pulled into the restaurant – an American Steak House place that Gus wanted to try out. Meg suggested going to an Australian place – because, you know, when in Rome – but they agreed to do that another night. Geoff and Gus were just getting in this evening, unlike Meg and Ryan who had arrived earlier in the morning, and they wanted something they knew they would like to relax after the long ass flight.  
  
Geoff and Gus had beaten them there, so Meg and Ryan joined them at their table. Both of them had already ordered drinks for the table. Geoff raised his beer as the two of them sat down. “Order whatever you want, tonight is the company’s treat.” Geoff grinned.  
  
They ordered their food, and passed the time waiting for its arrival, deep in conversation. They offered Ryan a beer, but he declined, ordering Diet Coke instead. He wasn’t much of a drinker.  
  
About an hour into their meal, Geoff was at that point where he was laughing way too loud, and probably disturbing the tables around them, but he didn’t give a shit. Everyone was having a good time, drunk or not, and after they finished, Gus suggested they hit a bar nearby.  
  
“No, I think I’ll pass.” Ryan shook his head as they left the restaurant. “I’ll just get an Uber back to the hotel.”  
  
“Come on, dude, you can’t chicken out now. It’s like 8:30!” Geoff protested, grabbing onto Ryan’s shoulder.  
  
“Yeah, I know, but I don’t like to drink. What would be the point of hanging out in a bar?”  
  
“To be with us,” Gus answered, almost sarcastically. “Seriously, Ryan. You should come.”  
  
Ryan was considering it, but it was Meg who finally convinced him. She had been drinking a little, already, so she was more bubbly than usual. She stood in front of him, arms crossed, trying to look serious. “Come on Ryan, you have to go. Besides, we were splitting the Uber fair, remember? Don’t leave me to pay for my own way home.”  
  
Ryan let out a sigh, shrugging. “Okay, I guess. But not too late, guys. We got shit to do, tomorrow, remember?”  
  
For the next hour, Ryan munched on peanuts while the rest of his group got drunk. He was content enough on his phone, while the rest of them talked amongst themselves, giggling and practically shouting.  
  
Eventually, he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Meg. Her eyes were almost droopy, but she was smiling broadly. “Come on, Ryan. You gotta have a drink. You’re in a bar for God’s sake.”  
  
“I know. I said that already.” Ryan relaxed in his seat. “I told you, I don’t really do this sort of thing. It kinda comes with having kids and all.”  
  
“Geoff has a kid.”  
  
“Yeah, one.”  
  
“Come on, just for tonight. You’re in a whole different country! Enjoy it!”  
  
From behind her, Geoff turned around. “Yeah, Ryan, come on. What happens in Australia, stays in Australia, dude.”  
  
“I don’t think that’s how it works.” Ryan frowned. “Alright. I’ll get a beer.”  
  
And just like that, as so many people know, one drink turned into two. And two turned into three. And then suddenly, he couldn’t quite remember how many he had. He hadn’t had a night like this one in years. He hadn’t drank like this in years. He wasn’t used to this feeling, anymore, and before long he was feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all.  
  
“Man, I do not feel great right now.” Ryan rested his elbows on the counter, and his head in his hands.  
  
Meg giggled, rubbing her hand on his back. The touch was surprisingly gentle, considering how drunk Meg was at this point. “Consider this payback for earlier, asshole.” Meg could tell Ryan was smiling, even if his head was down.  
  
Not long after that, they called it a night. Gus had rented a car, and offered to drive Meg and Ryan back to their own hotel, but they declined. They’d just take an Uber. It wasn’t a big deal.  
  
Meg and Ryan climbed into the back of the car and their driver greeted them. The radio was playing loudly, so much so that they could barely hear what he said. As he drove away, he sang along with the lyrics. Usually, both of them would have absolutely hated this driver, but tonight neither of them really noticed.  
  
“See, that was fun, wasn’t it?” Meg had to practically yell over the music, and elbowed him gently to get his attention. She couldn’t help but notice how bright and happy he looked, despite his earlier protests. She felt butterflies in her stomach when she looked at him, and she didn’t know why.  
  
“I think so. I still feel a bit weird, but… a good weird, I guess.” Ryan looked over at Meg, and realized she was staring up at him. Her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated. Her red lips were faded, but they were curved into the most beautiful smile. She was so beautiful… Ryan suddenly felt uncomfortable at the prolonged eye contact and looked down to avoid it. Her dress was short to begin with, and now it was riding up a bit on one leg. Her long legs drooped over the seat and crossed over one another at the ankles. His gaze went upward to the top of her dress, which fit her just right. Finally, he made it back to her eyes. She was still staring. “Uh, Meg…”  
  
Meg reached forward, putting her hand on his leg. Her lips parted just slightly. She wasn’t smiling anymore, she seemed focused. Ryan looked down at her hand, which was sliding upwards. She was looking down at it, too. She stared at it like it was someone else’s, like she wasn’t controlling it. And then she looked back up.  
  
Ryan cleared his throat. “I think we’re both a bit drunk…”  
  
“Understatement of the year, Ryan.” Meg chuckled. She licked her lips.  
  
Ryan reached down for her hand, and gently pulled it away. “I think we both need to sleep it off.”  
  
Meg nodded, closing her eyes. “Yeah, I agree.” Ryan noticed that he was still holding her hand. He had moved it from his leg, but then found himself unwilling to let go. Eyes still closed, she intertwined their fingers together, holding onto him gently. “Ryan…” She whispered. He couldn’t hear her, but he could see her mouth it.  
  
“Y-yeah?”  
  
Meg opened her eyes. She scooted closer to him, until her arm was against his. She could feel the hairs sticking up on his skin. She brought his hand down to her thigh. He left it there, but didn’t move. There were too many thoughts racing through his mind. He was trying to focus in on any one of them, but the only thing he could think about was how soft her leg was.  
  
He couldn’t think of anything to say, so he just said, “You looked really good in that dress, tonight, you know.”  
  
“Really? That’s sweet…” She didn’t look away from his eyes as she moved his hand again, this time to her chest. “You’ve always been really sweet…” She stretched her neck upwards, until she was eye to eye with him. She hovered there for a moment, feeling his breath against her skin, his hand on her breast.  
  
And then she went forward, tilting her head slightly, and then pressing her lips against his. As their lips touched, she closed her eyes, taking in the moment. Something in Ryan told him to push her away, but something else, that was made more powerful by the alcohol, told him to let it happen.  
  
His hands instinctively fell to her waist. He lifted her up gently, settling her down on his lap.  
  
She pulled away, momentarily, wrapping her arms around his neck, a knee on either side of his leg. Her dress rode up much farther. Then she leaned down and kissed him, again. As she did, he couldn’t help but run his hands up her legs, stopping only when he felt his fingers brush up against her underwear.  
  
The Uber driver didn’t seem to notice. He just continued to jam along in the front seat, yelling at other drivers along the way.  
  
When they got to the hotel, they didn’t stop to think about what was happening. They thought, but they didn’t stop. They ran up the stairs to the second floor, and Ryan followed Meg into her room.  
  
The door was slammed shut, and Meg’s back was against it. Ryan leaned down for a kiss. Meg parted her lips, poking at Ryan’s with her tongue, telling him to do the same. He did.  
  
He thought her lips were soft, pleasant, and yet electrifying all at the same time. She thought he tasted sweet, and his hands were in all the right places.  
  
They spent a while just exploring each other’s mouths, before they were ready to move on. Ryan pulled away, taking a moment to breathe and get himself together.  
  
But Meg was more than ready. Without a second thought, she pushed him backward, toward the bed. She giggled as he almost tripped over her bag on the way over. When they got to the edge of the bed, he paused, but she pressed her palm against his chest, pushing him onto the bed. He stared up at her, and for a moment, she just stood there. Somewhere in her head, there was a little voice telling her that she could still turn back. It wasn’t too late. She ignored it.  
  
She kicked off her heels and climbed up on top of him, taking her time getting there. She stood at the edge of the mattress, one foot on either side of him. “You ready?” She smiled, taking a step closer. Ryan nodded. She knelt down, straddling his waist. She was sat on his stomach, but all her weight was on her knees. She pulled up his shirt, slowly, carefully. He let her lift it above his head, and then she threw it to the side. She placed her hands on his sides, leaning down to press her lips against his chest. He let out a little gasp as she did.  
  
Ryan breathed heavily as she undid his belt and pushed down his jeans. He sat up a little grabbed her waist, pulling her forward. She kissed him passionately while he reached around her, unzipping her dress and pulling it off, completely. He pulled away from her kiss, briefly, and brushed his lips against her skin, just above the panty line. She let out a moan, wrapping her fingers in his hair.  
  
Everyone at the company had seen her photos. It wasn’t like they didn’t all know what she looked like in just her underwear. But there was something different about seeing it in person.  
  
Unlike with pictures, now he could freely explore her body, with his fingers and his lips. And if he didn’t already think so before, he swore she was the most beautiful person he had ever known.  
  
He pulled off her underwear, and while he got to work, Meg undid her bra, throwing it to the side.  
  
There was no longer any hesitance, there were no second thoughts. They both just enjoyed themselves, and didn’t give a damn about anything else.  
  
It wasn’t until Meg’s alarm went off at 6:30 the next morning that Ryan fully realized what had happened.  
  
At first he didn’t even notice he wasn’t in his room. The beeping from the alarm woke him from his deep sleep, but it took a few moments for him to fully wake up. He opened his eyes, looking up at the ceiling. It looked just like any other hotel ceiling, and he thought for sure that it was his own.  
  
And that alarm going off? That must have been his alarm that he set last night. Although he couldn’t really remember setting an alarm. He couldn’t really remember much from the night before.  
  
Still, all of this made sense. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Well, except for the fact that for some reason he had slept naked last night. But that could easily be explained away by a drunk him being too lazy to get dressed.  
  
Oh, that’s right. He got drunk.  
  
No wonder his head was hurting. The sunlight coming through the window was too bright.  
  
But that was okay. He was an adult, he was allowed to do that on occasion. But everything else was okay.  
  
Except…  
  
He could feel someone moving beside him, and then the alarm went off. He turned to see who was there, and as soon as he saw Meg’s bare back as she stretched over to turn off the alarm, he remembered everything that happened last night.  
  
He jumped out of bed, bringing a sheet with him to cover up. Meg turned over, looking up at him, sadly. She grabbed her glasses from the side table and put them on so she could see better. “Oh, Ryan…” She sat up, covering herself in the blanket. “I… I don’t know what to say. I didn’t mean for that to happen…”  
  
Ryan just closed his eyes and tried to process all of this. He tried to remember if anything had happened in front of Geoff and Gus, but he didn’t think so. No one should have seen what they did. “No, it’s… I shouldn’t’ve… I…” He just shook his head, at a loss for words.  
  
He had felt so good last night in the car. It felt so natural having her on his lap, her hair tickling his neck as he kissed her. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he hadn’t felt that great in a long time.  
  
But now he felt awful. He didn’t want to open his eyes and see her sitting there, feeling guilty.  
  
Meg could see the wheels turning in Ryan’s head. She knew she had instigated what had gone down that night, and she felt terrible for it. Ryan had a wife – and she had Gavin! She didn’t know why she had done what she did in the car. She didn’t understand why she was able to do such a thing without any inhibition. Well, there was only one plausible reason, wasn’t there?  
  
“Ryan… I think I love you.”  
  
“What?” Ryan’s eyes shot open. He took a step back. “No, no. Don’t say that. You don’t mean that. You’re just looking for excuses-“  
  
“Ryan, listen to me! I’m not making up excuses! What I did was horrible, and there’s only one reason I would.”  
  
Ryan scoffed, shaking his head. “No. There’s only one reason why this would be acceptable. But face it, Meg, it wasn’t acceptable. It should have never happened.” He reached down and picked up his shirt, and started looking around for the rest of his clothes. “I’m not blaming you – this is as much my fault as yours. I’m just… looking at it realistically.”  
  
Meg felt like she was going to cry. She felt hungover from her night of drinking. She wiped away a tear forming in her eye. “Ryan, please. We can… we can fix this. Okay, just don’t tell anybody, and-“  
  
“I won’t. This… no one has to know.” Ryan collected the rest of his clothes. “This was a mistake, and it doesn’t have to ruin everything.” Without waiting for a reply, he hurried into the bathroom to get dressed.  
  
Meg sat on the mattress, trying to think of what to do. She didn’t want to ruin her friendship with Ryan, but… she meant what she had said earlier. There was only one reason it was so easy for her to kiss him, to sleep with him. She knew herself well enough to know that, even if Ryan disagreed.  
  
But that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Love or not, they had made a huge mistake. They couldn’t continue this, no matter what. There was too much at stake.  
  
She got up and started gathering together her own clothes. Another pang of guilt washed over her at having to pick up her panties and bra from the other side of the bed. She crumpled them together with her dress and threw them over to her bag. She just stood in the center of the room for a moment, completely unclothed, thinking about what she was going to say to Ryan when he came back out.  
  
She quickly dressed into shorts and her “Heart You” shirt she was so excited to get. Usually it made her happy just putting it on, but it wasn’t like that today. It just made her think about Free Play. How was she going to film it now, after all that had happened? How was she ever going to playfully banter with him, again?  
  
She was still bent over, putting on her socks and shoes when he stepped out of the bathroom, dressed back into his clothes from yesterday. She glanced up, and the first thing she saw were his Diet Coke shoes. She stood up straight. “Can we, um, talk about this?”  
  
Ryan nodded, slowly. “Yeah… yeah, of course. Just… let me go up to my room and get dressed, first. I’ll be back down.” And then he left.  
  
Meg got all her things together in his absence, deciding that being productive was the best thing she could do at the moment. As she was packing her bag back up, her phone rang. She had to search for it, and found it underneath the bed. It was Gavin. She didn’t have it in her to answer.  
  
She heard a knock on her door, and quickly answered it. Ryan was dressed in today’s clothes, finally. The Achievement City shirt and (probably the same) jeans. He came in, and Meg settled down on the bed against the headboard. Ryan sat down on the end of the bed, and faced her. “So…” Meg began, quietly. “What are we going to do?”  
  
Ryan sighed. “I don’t know. Nothing. We should just leave this all behind us. Forget it ever happened.”  
  
Meg looked down. “I don’t know if I can do that, Ryan. Not if…”  
  
“Meg, listen to me.” Ryan leaned forward so he could look her in the eyes. “You don’t love me, okay? That’s just not… possible. You’re feeling guilty, and I understand. But-“  
  
“Love is plausible or implausible, Ryan. That’s not how it works. It’s a feeling. And I feel it, I do. Suddenly, it all makes sense.”  
  
“What makes sense?”  
  
“The way I’ve felt about you this whole time. I just thought we got along so well because we were good friends. But we were always more than that. I can see that now.”  
  
“No. No, come on, Meg. Don’t do this to me, please. You’re making it harder than it has to be.”  
  
“It’s not on purpose! I’m just being honest!” Meg suddenly leaned forward, scooting closer to Ryan, who sat up. She got within inches of his face. “Look me in the eye, Ryan. Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t have any feelings for me, whatsoever. Do that, and I’ll drop it.”  
  
Ryan swallowed hard, and focused on her eyes. He tried ignore the fact that as she leaned toward him, her hands on the mattress in front of her, her blouse was falling forward, exposing her bra underneath. He tried to ignore the fact that she was so close he could feel her breathing. He tried to ignore the fact that his hand was involuntarily moving closer to hers. He tried to ignore all of this, but he couldn’t. “I don’t… I… God damn it, Meg! Why do you have to make this so difficult?” He turned away, angry and confused and guilty and most certainly in love all at the same time.  
  
“We can’t just ignore this, Ryan.”  
  
“Why not?”  
  
“Because how can I go back to Austin, now, pretending that everything is the same? How can I go back to my house, and not be thinking about you? How?” She rested her forehead against his shoulder, holding back tears. “Ryan…”  
  
She felt his hand on her cheek, his thumb gently caressing her skin. She look up at him, ready for him to repeat all that he had already said, but…  
  
He kissed her, gently, slowly, lovingly. When he pulled away, he looked her right in the eye. “Meg, I promise… we will figure this out. I don’t know how – or what we will do – but we will. But right now, we have work to do. And we just need to pretend… we need to pretend like everything’s normal, alright?”  
  
Meg nodded, smiling. “Yeah, of course. Thank you.”  
  
After a few moments to compose themselves, they went on their way. They finished up in Australia, and soon they were on the plane ride home. They still hadn’t talked about it again, but with time, they both realized it was for the best. If they could just pretend like it hadn’t happened… everything would be alright.  
  
Everything would be alright.  
  
Everything would…


	2. Doesn't Stay in Australia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second and final part of "What Happens in Australia." Ryan and Meg must deal with what happened on their trip, even if it pains them both. At the end of the day, they must figure out what their relationship is, and how important it is to them,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys really seemed to like the last part, so I hope you like this too. It's significantly shorter than the last part, but there wasn't much more to say for this story. I hope this will do for now, but I will definitely be writing more fics in the future separate from this one, so stay tuned. Thank you!

Once they returned back home, things were different. They didn't talk aloud about the incident in Australia, but it was constantly on both of their minds.

Meg was torn. On one hand, she had felt such a strong connection to Ryan. To a certain extent, she always had. They were so in sync, so in tune to each other. They got along so well as friends, and did just as well in bed. It was sad to think that not only could she not be with him, but now they weren't even really friends.

They both tried to avoid each other as much as possible. When they were alone together, neither of them knew what to say. There really was nothing to say. They couldn't talk about what was on both of their minds, and they couldn't think of anything else.

Ryan wanted to talk to Meg about it. He wanted to just get the whole thing over with, and figure out exactly what they were going to do. But to be completely honest, he had yet to work up the nerve. Talking to Meg used to be so easy. He could always tell what she was thinking. Now when he looked at her, it was like there was a wall that he just couldn't manage to climb over. He supposed they had both put up walls after what happened, and maybe that was for the best.

If they never had to see each other again, it would have been easier to just pretend what happened in Australia never happened. But they saw each other _every day_. Whether is was on the Patch, or Game Club, or now even the next season of Free Play, they were constantly thrown together. They couldn't just ignore each other. They had to figure out _something_.

Meg was leaning against the counter in the kitchen at the office, eating some leftover pasta she had brought to work. Every few minutes she would glance at her phone for the time. It felt like the minutes weren't going by fast enough. 

She knew that Ryan would be going home at 5 today, and she needed to talk to him before he left. She was done passing by him in the office and looking the other way. She was done steering conversations in the other direction when someone brought up his name. She had to see this matter settled, no matter what.

She didn't know how she expected the conversation to go. She didn't even know what she wanted to come of the conversation. Part of her wanted Ryan to tell her he was completely over her, and just wanted to go back to being friends. But another part of her wanted him to say that he couldn't get her out of his mind, and he wanted her back, just as desperately as she wanted him. Either way, she needed to know his honest opinion.

At 4:50, she threw away what was left of her food, and headed out to his car.

She leaned against he driver's side door, and waited.

Right on time, she saw Ryan leaving the building. 

Ryan did not expect to find Meg at his car, and honestly he did not want to. He hadn't talked to her since Australia, and he wasn't prepared to, now. He hadn't planned out what he was going to say. He hadn't decided what he wanted to do, yet. “Meg? What are you doing here?”

“What, you aren't even going to say hi? It's the first time we talked in weeks, and you can't even say that?” Meg didn't mean to sound so snippy, it just came out that way. She knew that if she had come out to find Ryan leaning on her car, she probably would have reacted the same way.

“Sorry,” Ryan sounded like he really meant it. “Hi, Meg. Sorry we haven't… talked. I know I said we would.”

“It's okay. I understand… it's complicated. But that's why I want to talk, now.”

“Here? I don't think that's a good idea.” Ryan glanced back at the office building. He didn't want to draw any attention or suspicion from anyone, and them standing out here together was already weird enough. If either of them got a little too emotional, it would only cause a scene. “Can we do it a different day?”

“No. I'm tired of being awkward around you, Ryan. Before all of this we were _friends_. Really good friends. I can't stand walking around like we're sworn enemies who won't even _look_ at each other!”

Ryan sighed. “Alright, but… where are we going to go?”

“We can go back to my place. Gavin's going out tonight, he won't be there for a while.”

“I don't know how I feel about that.”

“It's fine, trust me. Let's… just go.”

Meg sat in the passenger side of the car, and Ryan drove. Meg leaned against the door, putting some space between the two of them. She thought back to the car ride that night in Australia. She thought about how she was suddenly overwhelmed with this desire – this _need_ – to be closer to him. It was if she just couldn't stand to be on the other side of the car. She needed to be touching, even if it was just her arm against him. And once she was that close, she just wanted to be closer.

She looked over to him now, and she knew that feeling was still there. But without alcohol clouding her judgment, she could force herself to stay away.

Ryan was feeling particularity on edge. He could tell that Meg was staying as far away from him as she could in the small interior of his car, and that just made him feel worse. How could he let it get to this? He promised her that morning that he would fix this, that they would figure out what they were going to do as soon as they got back, but they never did. He went back on his promise, and that was something he tried never to do. He felt bad that it had caused her this much pain – that was _never his intention._

The car was silent, and Ryan wondered if he should say something. Out of the view of others, they could certainly talk now, but he didn't know how to start. “Meg...” He began quietly. She sat up a little at the sound of her name, and looked towards him. He cleared his throat. “Meg, I… I can tell your hurt. This is my fault, really. I should have never let it get this bad-”

“This is just as much my fault, Ryan.” Meg cut him off. She thought about what Ryan had said when she apologized for getting him in bed in the first place. He didn't let her blame herself, and she couldn't let Ryan blame himself, either. “Communication is a two way street.”

“I just don't know what to say. I thought I'd have figured it out by now, but… I have to be honest with you. I'm at a loss. I don't know what to do to make things better. I don't want to hurt you, but...” Ryan took a deep breath, grasping onto the steering wheel. His knuckles went white. “But that's no excuse. There _is_ no excuse for this.”

Meg looked down at her lap. “We made a mistake, Ryan. We did something… awful. And if I had woken up the next morning, feeling _nothing_ but regret and anger at myself, I could move on. I could admit my wrongdoing, and do everything in my power to make sure I never do it again. But I didn't feel just regret, Ryan. I mean… I did regret it. But when I first opened my eyes – before you even woke up – and I saw you lying down beside me, so close I could feel the heat radiating off of your skin… I didn't feel bad at all. I felt happy. I felt… complete. Like I had been waiting for this to happen, and I didn't even realize it.”

They were close to Meg's house now. Ryan was getting nervous. He didn't know what to say to that. It was sounding more and more like Meg wanted to continue where they had left off in Australia, but how could they? It was wrong, and it was stupid. They were bound to get caught, and ruin _both_ their lives for the sake of one night's passion. 

Was all of this really worth that?

The worst part of it all, was that Ryan didn't know the answer to that question. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't.

“What are you saying, exactly? That you don't want to move on?” Ryan asked. He was pulling into her house.

Meg bit her bottom lip. Was she? Even she wasn't sure what she wanted anymore. All she knew was that when she looked at him, she saw something in him she had never seen before. She saw something she _wanted, and she wasn't sure that was ever going to change. “Do _you want to move on?”__

Ryan parked the car. He turned off the ignition. He turned to her. She was looking at him expectantly. Her brows were drawn together, her eyes were wider than usual with worry. Seeing her so upset made his heart drop, and he wanted nothing more than to pull her in and protect her from the world. 

If he looked at this realistically, he knew he should say yes, he wanted to move on. It would be the most adult thing to do. It would hurt her, and he would hate himself for that, but at the end of the day he would have done what needed to be done.

But how could he say that to her – how could he break her heart like that – when it wasn't even true? When his heart was telling him to say no. When his _everything_ was telling him to reach over there and make his move, just like she had in the back of the Uber.

He struggled to put his thoughts into words. “What I… what I want is different from what I think is… best...”

Meg dropped her eyes, and looked back down at her hands. She couldn't look him in the eye while he explained they would never work together. She just couldn't. She felt her eyes water up, and she tried to hide them from him.

He continued. “A-a-and it's not that I want to pretend… it's not that I don't think the world of you – because I do, really, I just...” His voice trailed off as he realized she was crying. “Oh, Meg...” He reached out his hand and put it on hers. She sniffled, relaxing at his touch. “I'm sorry...”

“Don't be,” Meg shook her head, still not looking up. “It's not your fault. It's mine. I'm being dumb.”

“No, you aren't. Come here.” Ryan scooted forward as far as he could so that he could wrap his arm around her. She moved so that she could be enveloped in his arms, and pressed her face against his chest. For both of them, it felt comfortable and secure to sit as they were. It felt like they could sit like this everyday, wrapped around each other, thinking of no one but the other. It brought Meg back to waking up that morning and seeing him there. She knew that there were consequences to this, she knew that this was all kinds of wrong, but in that moment, it really didn't matter. There weren't many times in life that she ever felt this way, and she wasn't going to just let that go.

Meg pulled her face away and looked up to him. There were tear stains on her cheeks, but she wasn't crying anymore. Ryan looked down at her and just couldn't help himself. He leaned down and kissed her, and she kissed him back.

It was a much different kiss than the one they had shared the first time around. The first time it was heated, lustful, and fueled by a fiery passion. This time it was a little different. It was just as passionate, just as craved as before, but it was much gentler, too. It wasn't the kiss of new found lovers who just couldn't get enough of each other. It was the kiss of two people who knew they already had the other one, that they weren't going anywhere. It was a kiss of love, acceptance, and infatuation. 

It was slow, but meaningful. Ryan's hands did not explore her body like he had before. Instead he grasped tightly to her back to hold her close. It was more comforting than enticing. Meg tried to move closer to him, but she could only get so close with the gearshift in the middle of them. She pulled her lips away from his for a moment. “We shouldn't be out here. We should go inside.”

The quickly got out of the car and rushed into the house, hoping that no neighbors saw them.

Once they were inside, Meg took his hands in hers, intertwining their fingers together. She brought them up to her face, laying a kiss on the back of his hand. She led him into the living room, where they curled up together on the couch.

This was nothing like it was in Australia. They were calm, they were gentle, and they were just happy to be with one another. Ryan laid down against the back of the couch, and Meg right in front of him. He held her with both arms, his lips on the back of her neck. Her eyes were closed, not wanting to hold back her smile if she could help it. 

They were happy, happier than they had been in a long time, and certainly much happier than they had been since they returned from their trip. Whatever this relationship was, it wasn't simple, and it wasn't easy. But it was theirs, and they couldn't pretend it wasn't. Whatever the future would hold for them, they were ready to face it. Because as long as they could lay like this, as one, with not a worry or care in the world, it was going to be worth it.

Everything would be alright.

It truly, truly would.


End file.
